CANDY BUYBACK: Abington dentist holding 'the great candy buyback' - Dr. Mike Thomas of Abington Family Dental Care wants your Halloween candy. And no, he does not want to eat it. He wants to buy it. Thomas’ practice is hosting “the great Halloween buyback,” during which his patients are being invited to sell their Halloween candy to him at the rate of $1 per pound. By Seth Jacobson.

GATOR FOLO: Gator guy: How the Fall River alligator was captured; owner steps forward - Armed only with a roll of electrical tape, the owner of Animal Instincts captured the alligator spotted in Fall River near the Harbour Mall. By Michael Holtzman.

ROBBERY: Purported bomb used in bank robbery, police on scene - Police are investigating a bank robbery this morning at East Bridgewater Savings Bank, 29 Bedford St. in which the suspect left a package purporting to be a bomb before fleeing. The bank was evacuated at 10 a.m. The bomb squad is currently on site. Traffic is currently being rerouted away from the area.

‘LOST’ DOG: Hearing planned on Stoughton animal control officer this week - A hearing will be held this week to determine if any action will be taken against Animal Control Officer Kristin Bousquet, who is accused of wrongfully giving a missing Yorkshire terrier to a police officer for his girlfriend. By Allan Stein.

SCHOOL STABBING: Teen accused of killing classmate in 2007 set for April trial - The trial of John Odgren, who is charged with murdering a classmate at Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School more than two and a half years ago, is set for April, a judge said Monday in Middlesex Superior Court. By Norman Miller.

H1N1: Two Stonehill College students diagnosed with swine flu - Students at Stonehill College in Easton were sent home Monday being diagnosed with H1N1 flu. The school is advising anyone with flu-like symptoms to return home until the symptoms disappear. By Elaine Allegrini.

COUNTERFEIT: Police: Cook tried to pawn off counterfeit bills on colleagues - A 46-year-old Ninety Nine Restaurant cook pleaded not guilty to using counterfeit cash at his arraignment in Waltham District Court on Monday. By Joyce Kelly.

GAS STATION MURDER: Taunton man arrested, charged with murder of gas station attendant - Less than 24 hours after a gasoline station attendant was found shot to death, police charged a 37-year-old man with murder in the case. By Maureen Boyle.

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MALL FORECLOSURE: Auction of Westgate Mall won’t affect shoppers - Shoppers at the Westgate Mall won’t notice a difference even though the mall is now in foreclosure and will be auctioned off next month, city officials said. The shopping center is slated to be sold to the highest bidder on Nov. 18 after it was recently foreclosed by Bank of America, according to a legal notice. By Kyle Alspach.

ANIMAL SHELTER: Donations save animal shelter abandoned by MSPCA - The Animal Protection Center of Southeastern Massachusetts is now operating at the former MSPCA-Metro South site in Brockton. By The Enterprise.

RESTAURANT FIRE: Cheng-Du owners not sure about restaurant’s future after fire - Tina Tang, whose husband, Lei, owns the Cheng-Du restaurant, said she’s not sure if the family will be able to rebuild their Stoughton business, which was gutted Thursday after a kitchen fire quickly raged out of control. By Candace Hall.

MEAT RECALL: Brockton meat plant makes voluntary recall after students get sick at Camp Bournedale in Plymouth - E. coli that made more than 20 students and adults from Lincoln, R.I., ill were traced to South Shore Meats. Camp director Arnie Gerson says he’s permanently dropped hamburgers from the camp’s menu. By Lane Lambert.

WENDY MURPHY: Punishing abusers key to protecting women -- Our legal system doesn’t care. And despite decades of disastrous statistics, our political leaders don’t care, either. In fact, nobody in a position of leadership is even complaining about the lack of justice for victimized women.

PETER COSTA: Honey, it’s me - I’m in the driveway - Dozens of cell phones radiating energy all at once – in the parking lot, in the lobby, in the stairwell. Radio waves pierce buildings, cars, even elevators, so the radio frequency waves can easily penetrate our craniums. Even a thick head like Uncle Leonard is no match for microwaves vibrating at high frequencies. In fact, some of the telephones use frequencies high enough to burst through the ionosphere, shoot out into space and bounce off the moon.

SEXY COSTUMES FOR KIDS: Trend of sexy Halloween costumes for young girls are downright frightening, say moms - In ads for Halloween costumes, a coven of corseted witches gives their best come-hither stare. Sexy swashbucklers pose provocatively alongside frisky French maids and vampire vixens. While racy Halloween costumes are nothing new, these costumes are for young girls, and many of them are available starting in 4T.

- With illustration
- Localize it: Talk to a mom or two in your area about the trend and add her/their quotes.

JEWISH FILM FEST: Jewish Film Festival opens 21st season - The Boston Jewish Film Festival opens its 21st season in Framingham this week with the New England premieres of two very different dramas. By Chris Bergeron.

POETRY AND PRINTS: Poetry plus printmaking at Wellesley's Davis Museum - Except for William Blake, few major poets have illustrated their own verse with memorable prints. But now, an often-gorgeous exhibit at Wellesley College merges poetry and printmaking to create an enhanced medium that might be called visual verse or poetic prints. By Chris Bergeron.

DR. JEFF HERSH: Can vacuum therapy help diabetic's wound? -- Q: My mom is a diabetic and a month ago she fell and cut her leg pretty badly. Even though the visiting nurse has been changing her dressing every day, the cut has still not healed. The doctor wants to put her on some kind of vacuum therapy. What is this?

DR. MURRAY FEINGOLD: Swinging little kids can cause injury -- Every time I see a mom or dad swinging their 2- or 3-year-old child by the arms, I am in a quandary. Should I, a complete stranger to the parents, inform them that swinging their child in such a manner is fraught with potential injury to the child's elbows?

DARIN ST. GEORGE: Running like a Marine -- I received a text message Sunday from my good friend Christine Vital, who had just finished the Marine Corps Marathon. She took the proper steps and did the work. Let's look at a few things she did along the way.